On October 24, at Nguyen Tat Thanh University - District 9 Campus, High-Tech Park, Long Thanh My Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) hosted the Workshop "Developing solutions to promote the participation of women and girls in STEM education and employment".
The event was organized by the Vietnam University and College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network (VNEI), Nguyen Tat Thanh University and Hanoi University of Science and Technology Investment and Development Company Limited (BK Holdings).
The workshop attracted more than 100 delegates including experts, scientists, representatives of the Department of Education - Central Propaganda Department, Universities and Colleges, technology enterprises and engineering students of Universities/Colleges in Ho Chi Minh City.
The conference is not only a place for experts to meet, exchange and find solutions to promote gender equality and comprehensive development, encourage women's empowerment and career development, but also a meaningful and inspiring event to empower and honor women in the STEM field.
Speaking at the online program, Ms. Tran Thuy Anh, Program Manager of UN Women, said that the world is currently developing very rapidly thanks to advances in science and technology, opening up development opportunities in social sectors, but women's participation in this field is still limited. The United Nations' 2022 Progress Report on Sustainable Development Goal No. 5 (Gender Equality goal) shows that women only participate in 20% of jobs in the STEM field globally, and in Vietnam this rate is even lower.
The aim of the Conference is therefore to open a dialogue about the challenges women and girls face entering STEM fields and to discuss the opportunities ahead to empower them to thrive in these high-demand fields.
UN Women also made recommendations such as: there should be scholarship programs, mentoring programs, gender equality education programs from schools, especially completely eliminating discrimination and treatment of girls in the educational environment.
For employment opportunities for women, communication programs to raise awareness, develop policies to support women's advancement, and professional training programs for female workers and female leaders are urgently needed to ensure that they can participate and benefit from the development of the digital economy in a fair and sustainable manner.
| Discussion: The current situation of gender imbalance in enrollment in engineering and technology majors |
At the workshop, the representative of the Vietnam University and College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Network – Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong, Head of the Technology Department and Principal of Ly Thai To College – gave a detailed presentation on the topic “Gender imbalance in engineering and technology enrollment”. The presentation by Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong provided a comprehensive perspective on the current situation of low female representation in engineering and technology, which is considered a pillar of modern economic and industrial development.
In his speech, Associate Professor Dr. Dong presented specific data demonstrating the significant difference in gender ratio in enrollment in engineering and technology majors. This data shows that the proportion of female students studying in these majors remains low compared to that of males, despite efforts to increase access in recent times. The speech clearly stated that the gender imbalance in these majors not only affects the diversity and creativity in research and technology development but also reduces the quality of high-tech human resources, thereby reducing the competitiveness of Vietnamese technology enterprises in the international market. In addition, this difference also causes wasted development opportunities for the entire economy, because the potential contributions from the female workforce are not fully exploited.
The paper also analyzed the main causes of gender imbalance in STEM, including gender stereotypes from the basic education stage, the lack of successful female role models in engineering and technology, and disparities in policies and access to learning opportunities. These factors have contributed to the formation of psychological barriers and created a lack of confidence in women when choosing and pursuing engineering and technology majors.
Based on the above analysis, the paper makes necessary recommendations on strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation among stakeholders, including governments, educational institutions, businesses and social organizations, to develop comprehensive programs to promote the participation and success of women and girls in STEM. These programs should aim to create friendly learning and working environments, promote women's participation in technical and technological professions, and eliminate social prejudices and barriers to achieve real gender equality in this field.
| Presentation: STEM activities of Nguyen Tat Thanh University in serving the community towards sustainable development |
In his second speech at the workshop, Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Van Phuc – Permanent Deputy Director of the Interdisciplinary Institute of Social Sciences – Nguyen Tat Thanh University – presented in detail the school’s STEM activities serving the community, with the goal of sustainable development. He emphasized the school’s educational philosophy of “Practical learning – Practice – Real name – Real career”, aiming to equip students with the necessary research and creative skills to solve environmental, social and economic challenges.
The presentation provided a comprehensive view of the role of STEM education at Nguyen Tat Thanh University in promoting sustainable development. Accordingly, the university integrates teaching in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, thereby helping students gain a multi-dimensional view and the ability to apply knowledge into practice. STEM research and application activities at the university include STEM experiments, talk shows, seminars and training sessions to improve capacity in designing STEM lectures and models. These programs aim to raise awareness and equip participants with skills, thereby contributing to the development of the local community.
Panel Discussion: Challenges and Career Development Opportunities for Women in STEM
In addition to the achieved results, Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Van Phuc also frankly pointed out the remaining challenges in the implementation of STEM activities, including: lack of financial resources, inadequate facilities, limited team of experts, difficulties in connecting universities, businesses and the community, along with the lack of clear criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of STEM activities.
Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Van Phuc recommends the need for multilateral cooperation among stakeholders to create comprehensive and sustainable STEM education programs, thereby promoting development and improving the quality of life of the community.
| Panel Discussion: Challenges and Career Development Opportunities for Women in STEM |
After the panel discussion with the participation of representatives from relevant parties to clarify the obstacles and difficulties in the career development of women in STEM industries, the Workshop continued in the afternoon session with group activities to develop solutions to promote the participation of women and girls in STEM industries, while providing educational and employment opportunities for them to develop their potential and contribute to the overall development of the economy.
PV
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